Overview
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said the UK agreed at the end of last week to send personnel and equipment after a direct request from his Belgian counterpart.
- Defence Secretary John Healey ordered a small RAF specialist unit to deploy with ground-based systems designed to detect, track and defeat drones.
- Operations at Brussels Zaventem and Liège were suspended last week, affecting about 3,000 Brussels Airlines passengers and triggering flight diversions.
- Germany and France have already sent anti-drone teams, while investigations continue with no confirmed attribution and Russia denying involvement.
- Germany’s Boris Pistorius suggested the incursions may be linked to pressure over frozen Russian assets held in Belgium, a theory officials say is plausible but unproven.